Stalking on Campus

George Mason University May 22, 2013

Presented by: Hema Khan Program Attorney Stalking Resource Center National Center for Victims of Crime [email protected] 202-467-8732

www.victimsofcrime.org/src

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The Stalking Resource Center is a program of the National Center for Victims of Crime. The mission of the Stalking Resource Center is to enhance the ability of professionals, organizations, and systems to effectively respond to stalking. The Stalking Resource Center envisions a future in which the criminal justice system and its many allied community partners will effectively collaborate and respond to stalking, improve victim safety and well-being, and hold offenders accountable. The Stalking Resource Center provides training, technical assistance, and resource materials for professionals working with and responding to stalking victims and offenders.

Defining Stalking

Stalking A pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.

Stalking A pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear    

Repeated behavior – Course of conduct Usually two or more incidents Individual behaviors may not be illegal Can be difficult to recognize the pattern

Stalking A pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear  

The target is a specific person Others?

Stalking A pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear 



Would a reasonable person in the victim’s shoes feel fear? Can you threaten someone without using words?

CONTEXT IS CRITICAL!

Prevalence of Stalking 

How many people are stalked annually:  United



States?

Who is at the greatest risk of being a stalking victim?

Prevalence of Stalking 6.6 million stalked in 1 year in U.S. 

Rate  26.5

per 1,000

- The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report (2011)

Do the Math 1. Take the population of your community 2. Divide by 1000

3. Multiply by 26.5 4. Equals statistical number of stalking cases in your community each year

Stalking Prevalence – GMU 

Student Population~ 33,000



Roughly 874 cases in 1 year

Prevalence of Stalking  

6.6 million stalked in 1 year Stalking victimization at some point in their lifetime: 1

in 6 women

1

in 19 men

- The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report (2011)

Stalking Dynamics 





Women more likely to experience stalking victimization Individuals under age 25 experience the highest rates of stalking Most stalkers are male  Males



equally likely to be stalked by a male or female

The majority of victims know their stalkers

Victim Offender Relationship Current/former intimate partner

66.2% 41.4%

24.0%

Aquaintance

40.0%

13.2% 19.0%

Stranger

Female Male

6.8% 5.3%

Family member

2.5%

Person of authority 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

- The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report (2011)

Prevalence Rates of stalking among college students exceed the prevalence rates found in the general population:  27%

of women and 15% of men - Fremouw et al. (1997)

 25%

of women and 11% of men - Bjerregaard (2000)

 During

one 9-month period, 13.1% of college women surveyed reported being stalked - The Sexual Victimization of College Women (2000)

Victim and Offender Relationship 80.3% of female campus stalking victims knew their stalkers:  42.5% Current/former boyfriend  24.5% Classmate  10.3% Acquaintance  5.6% Friend  5.6% Co-worker - The Sexual Victimization of College Women (2000)

Stalking & Domestic Violence

Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence 

81% of stalking victims who were stalked by an intimate partner reported that they had also been physically assaulted by that partner. -



National Violence Against Women Survey (1998)

3/4 of women who experienced stalking-related behaviors experienced other forms of victimization (sexual, physical, or both) - Stalking acknowledgement and reporting among college women experiencing intrusive behaviors (2007)

Point in Intimate Relationship when Stalking of Women Occurs Before = 21% After relationship ends = 43%

Before & After = 36%

- National Violence Against Women Survey (1998)

Intimate Partner Stalkers: Increased Risk for Victims 

More likely to physically approach victim



More insulting, interfering and threatening



More likely to use weapons



Behaviors more likely to escalate quickly



More likely to re-offend



More likely to assault third parties than nonintimate stalkers

The RECON Typology of Stalking, Mohandie et al (2006); Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, Sheridan and Davies(2001)

Lethality (Femicide) 

76% of cases:  victim

experienced stalking within 12 months prior to the murder



85% of attempted cases:  victim

experienced stalking within 12 months prior to the attempted murder

Stalking and Intimate Partner Femicide, McFarlane et al. (1999)

Lethality (Femicide) 

67% of the femicide victims:  had

been physically abused by their intimate partner in the 12 months before the murder.



89% of the femicide victims who had been physically abused:  had

also been stalked in the 12 months before the murder. Stalking and Intimate Partner Femicide, McFarlane et al. (1999)

Physical Abuse + Stalking = Greater indicator of potential lethality than either behavior alone

Stalking Behavior

Pattern of Behavior 





2/3 of stalkers pursue their victim at least once per week 78% of stalkers use more than one means of approach Weapons used to harm or threaten victims in about 20% of cases

- The RECON Typology of Stalking (2006)

Stalking Behaviors Following/Surveillance  Sending gifts, letters  Vandalism  Stealing items  OP Violations  Threats (implicit and explicit)  Identity theft 

Targets third parties  Proxy stalking  Physical/Sexual assault Workplace stalking  Harasses via legal system  Use of children to harass/monitor 

Stalking Behaviors unwanted phone calls and…

67%

spreading rumors

36%

following or spying

34%

unwanted letters and email

31%

showing up at places

32%

waiting for victim

29%

leaving unwanted presents

13% 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

- Stalking Victimization in the United States - Revised, BJS (2012)

Stalking Behaviors Threatened to commit suicide. Threatened to hurt or kill family members.

Threatened to report respondents to 7.0% CPS or other authorities if demands were not met. (10.2%) 9.0%

Threatened to report respondent to CPS or other authorities if demands were not met.

10.2%

Threatened while driving a car. Threatened to hurt or kill. Threatened to report respondent to police for something that did not occur.

11.7%

Threatened to report to police for 12.5% something that did not occur. (16.4%) 16.4%

Person came to the home or work place and created a disturbance. Broke into the house, car, or buisness. Unwanted contact because someone was waiting around outside the home, work, etc. Car was tampered with. Stole items from house, car or business.

- Stalking in Texas (2007)

20.3% 3.9% 21.1% 22.7% 34.4%

Use of Technology to Stalk 

  

  



Phones Cameras Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Computers Spyware Email & IM Assistive technologies Social networking sites

Stalking by Proxy 

Third party stalking  Friends,

relatives, children

 Unintentional  Intentional 

50% - 60% of partner stalking victims say others were involved in stalking - Logan et al. (2006)

Recidivism  

60% of cases Time between intervention and recidivism was about 2 months  Stalkers

reoffend from between 1day to 6

years

- The RECON Typology of Stalking (2006)

Duration 39%

6 months or less

17%

7-11 months

13%

1 year

9%

2 years

5%

3 years

3%

4 years 5 years or more

11% 3%

Don't know 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

- Stalking Victimization in the United States - Revised, BJS (2012)

Stalking and Other Crimes 

Among stalking cases… 24% involve property damage  21% involve a direct attack on the victim  15% involve an attack on another person or pet 



Identity theft

Charged items to credit card

30%

Took money from accounts

52%

Opened/closed accounts

54% 0%

20%

40%

60%

–- Stalking Victimization in the United States, BJS (2009)

Why do they stalk? 

Seeking affection



Rejection



Obsession



Power & Control



Planning to commit a crime



Because they can

Victims of Stalking

Impact of Stalking         





Minimization; Self-blame Guilt, shame or embarrassment Frustration, Irritability, Anger Shock and confusion Fear and anxiety Depression Emotional numbness Flashbacks Isolation/disconnection from other people Difficulties with concentration or attention Feeling suicidal





     

Decreased ability to perform at work or school, or accomplish daily tasks Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Sleep disturbances, nightmares Sexual dysfunction Fatigue Fluctuations in weight Self-medication with alcohol/drugs Feeling on guard most of the time - hypervigilance

Impact on Victims Afraid of:       

46% not knowing what would happen next 30% bodily harm 29% behavior would never stop 13% harm or kidnap a child 10% loss of freedom 9% death 4% losing one’s mind

- Stalking Victimization in the United States, BJS (2009)

Impact on Victims 1 in 8 of employed victims lost time from work 

More than half lost 5 days or more $1-99

Changing phone number/moving/fixing damaged property

15%

7% $100-999

Getting a restraining/protection order or testifying in court

12%

$1,000-2,499

$2,500-4,999

Fear or concern for safety

13% 0%

5%

10%

15%

37%

$5,000 or more

14% 6% 8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

- Stalking Victimization in the United States, BJS (2009)

“It’s not easy to describe the fear you have when you see the stalker, or signs of the stalker, everywhere you go. I have given up all hopes of ever having a safe life. For the rest of my life, I will be looking over my shoulder, expecting to see him there.”

“It’s going to take getting a bullet put in my head before people understand how serious this is.” - Statement of stalking victim Peggy Klinke one month prior to her murder by her stalker in January 2003

Do most stalking victims report to law enforcement?

Reporting to Law Enforcement



37% of male stalking victims



41% of female stalking victims

–- Stalking Victimization in the United States, BJS (2009)

Reporting of Stalking Incidents 

Overall, 83.1% of stalking incidents were NOT reported to police or campus law enforcement.

BUT…. 

93.4% of victims confided in someone, most often a friend, that they were being stalked. - National Sexual Victimization of College Women Survey

Reasons For Not Reporting Thought it a minor incident (minimization)

27%

Private or personal matter

27%

Reported to another official

14%

Not clear a crime occurred

11%

Thought police wouldn't think it was important or would be ineffective

11%

Couldn't identify offender/lacked evidence

10%

Feared the perpetrator/afraid of reprisals

6%

0% - Stalking Victimization in the United States, BJS (2009)

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

What Can We Do?

Campus Response 

Educational Programming  Awareness  Risk

Reduction

 Prevention  Bystander

Intervention



Advocacy



Training for officials



Implement and Enforce Stalking Policies/Protocol

Increase Awareness 



Add information to orientation materials/activities Awareness Months: January – Stalking  February – Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention  April – Sexual Assault  October – Domestic Violence 



Post information: Residence halls/dining halls  Health center  Counseling center  Everywhere 

Resources for Victims     



Are You Being Stalked? (Brochure for Victims) Stalking Questions and Answers Stalking Incident Behavior Log Safety Plan Guidelines Cyberstalking: Dangers on the Information Superhighway Ten Things You Should Know About Stalking

www.victimsofcrime.org/src

Documentation STALKING INCIDENT LOG

Date

Time

Description of Incident

Location of Incident

Witness Name(s)

Police Called

Officer Name

(Attach Address and Phone #)

(Report #)

(Badge #)

www.victimsofcrime.org/src 202-467-8700